A policy of never paying ransom might be sound in principle, but for those who must confront a real-world decision, as Foley's parents did, you come to realize there are few, if any, other options.

Throughout this ordeal, GlobalPost's role was to support the Foley family, provide expert kidnap and ransom assistance, and oversee an international investigation with the goal of bringing Jim — a longtime correspondent for GlobalPost — home safely.

As an adviser to the Foleys, I understood that the family would be likely to pay a ransom if and when a demand were made. Jim had simply vanished in a violent and unforgiving part of the world.

When the first e-mail communication from the captors arrived in late November, we requested and received proof of life for Jim. It was a joyous moment for the family and for all of us at GlobalPost. We knew for the first time that Jim was alive.

Throughout this ordeal, the family shared all of the information we gathered with the appropriate agencies of the U.S. government.

The parents also worked tirelessly to reach out to other nations for assistance in gaining their son's release.

It's important to understand that no country, including the United States, has any real influence over the Islamic State. Eventually, we realized that the only channel open to secure Jim's freedom was to negotiate directly with his captors.

In the end, no ransom was ever negotiated. Jim's captors stopped communicating in December and did not contact the family again until Aug. 12, after the U.S. bombing of Islamic State targets in Iraq had begun. They raged against the United States and declared flatly that Jim would be executed in retaliation.

Now they have brutally murdered another innocent American hostage.

For some people, the question of whether to pay ransom to terrorists may always be black and white. The answer was really never in doubt for the Foley family.